by Charles Alexander Jr.
4th grade at Villa Cresta Elementary School (Parkville, MD)
Special Recognition
Malala Yousafzai was injured at age 14. A Taliban insurgent shot Malala in the head in revenge of Malala’s human rights activism, especially the education of girls in her homeland of Swat Valley, northwest Pakistan, where the Taliban banned girls from attending school. Malala’s advocacy for gender equality in education was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, although her advocacy almost costed her life. According to the United Nations’ website, “gender equality is not only a foundational human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable World.”
We don’t have to go to the distant regions of the world to learn about the devastating impact of education inequality. City Schools is a school district in Baltimore, Maryland that serves a student population where 92% of the student body is majority Black, which is more than the Maryland public school average of 63% majority Black. Student enrollment in City Schools is also low income. Half of the student population is eligible to participate in the free and reduced-price meal program because students and their families are poor.
These alarming statistics, along with City Schools being underfunded, contribute to education inequality for black and brown children in Baltimore City, especially young girls that account for a little more than half of the student population. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic worsen existing inequalities, with these female students lacking access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) support to engage in learning and benefit from behavioral health services to promote their social and emotional development.
Teleservices is a broad category of STEM supported services that promote gender equality in education. It includes distance learning so students, including girls, can engage in online learning with their teachers, and telehealth so they can participate in healthcare with medical professionals remotely. City Schools has had difficulties with operating teleservices because lack of student resources to access teleservices, such as laptops, reliable WIFI, and digital literacy.
However, STEM professionals like computer scientists and network administrators, seeing teleservices as opportunity to promote education equity, including gender equality in schools, are taking lead to collaborate with City Schools and local governments to advocate for student access to teleservices. Their advocacy includes supporting removal of barriers that contribute to this lack of access, such as providing students with new laptops and auxiliary devices like routers, WIFI boosters, and headphones. Stationing new WIFI towers in strategic locations throughout neighborhoods of Baltimore City with scarcity of these towers. Including training school staff and students and their families to close the gap in digital literacy among the student body.
A new study from Arizona State University examined digital learning trends and outcomes, and it found that three out of four institutions that offered in-person and online courses had higher retention and graduation rates for students who at least enrolled in some digital learning classes. The hope is that the STEM interventions underway at City Schools will parallel the study’s findings, resulting in student retention and engagement that promotes gender equality in education.
Bibliography
Carter, J. (2021, December 7). Study: Online learning improves retention, graduation rates. Higher Ed Drive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/study-online-learning-improves-retention-graduation-rates/521271/
Giving Point. (2022, January 18). Education Equality. Giving Point. https://mygivingpoint.org/cause/education-equality/
United Nations. (2021, December 7). Goal 5. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5
U.S.News. (2022, January 5). Baltimore City Public Schools. U.S. News Education. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/maryland/districts/baltimore-city-public-schools-107947
Yousafzai, M. (2021, December 10). Malala’s Story. Malala’s Fund. https://malala.org/malalas-story?gclid=CjwKCAiA0KmPBhBqEiwAJqKK4xRyovnOuJJ_41epGj0bvoV1t6Z_zw2e3EQnfHKdZZBgGU4Rpzt9RxoCMW0QAvD_BwE